What Would Tim Say?

I covered a couple of 8th grade language arts classes today. It was the last day to turn in a huge research paper. Stress was hanging in the air like the scent of three day old fish. Suddenly, I found myself channeling Tim Gunn.

“Students, you have 45 minutes to complete this project. At the end of 45 minutes, you must stop working and turn in whatever you have completed. Use your time wisely.”

As I circulated the room, the Tim Gunn quotes just would not stop. When a student asked me to read her concluding paragraph, which did not flow or conclude anything, I said, “This concerns me. You don’t have a lot of time. Be creative and make it work.”

Another student was working on a cover sheet that had so many graphics, I could barely read the title. “It is overdesigned. You need to do some editing.”

As I would announce the time remaining, I had to stop myself from saying, “designers.” A couple times, I almost slipped, “De… Students, you have 15 minutes remaining.”

Then it just became a game with me. How Tim Gunn could I be? I don’t think any of the students caught on to my little personal joke, but I was certainly laughing hysterically on the inside.